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MISSISSAUGA, ON – March 1, 2016 – Last month, catering and events company, Scarlett House Catering, launched the Cornwall College Breakfast Program in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Working alongside President of the College’s Alumni Chapter, Charles Gordon, dozens of students grades 7-13 will head to class fully nourished and ready to learn.

President of Scarlett House Catering, Steve Coulighan explains that “the goal of the breakfast program is to provide students with the tools to learn and grow within their communities. We are a catering company at heart and what better way to begin our relationship with Cornwall College than through the most important meal of the day!”

Making their way to Montego Bay for the official launch of the program were Director of Restaurant and Venue Operations, Maher Ahmed and Marketing Manager, Alicia Gies. The Scarlett House representatives were treated to a tour of Cornwall College and welcomed at the official announcement event in the College’s chapel. Gies expressed that, “having the opportunity to visit Cornwall College was such an incredible experience, we were welcomed with open arms, met a large group of dedicated individuals and are very proud of where the program is headed.” Ahmed followed this up by saying that, “we are elated to be involved in such a direct way, our visit was outstanding and we are looking forward to growing the breakfast program into something much larger in the near future!”With the breakfast program underway, Scarlett House Catering soon hopes to establish a full culinary arts program. Director of Operations, Paul Andersen expressed that, “our vision is to not only provide students with the tools to manage their own breakfast program, but to offer a program that will fully educate them in the culinary arts, opening up a vast majority of local career opportunities once leaving the college.”

If you have been on the web recently, you will notice a major trend – HEALTH! With the most popular resolution year in and year out being a focus on healthy eating and fitness, there is no surprise that January is marked as National;Hot Tea MonthOatmeal MonthSlow Cooking MonthSoup MonthFat Free Living Month

… the list goes on and on!While it is easy to simply say let’s just eat salad and veggies all day every day… it gets old… quick! So to keep you engaged and keep your taste buds excited about this month’s theme, here are 2 recipes from 2 of our Scarlett House chefs!Enjoy!Vegetarian WellingtonSince it was such a huge hit during our busy holiday season, Chef Jessica has leaked the recipe!

Directions1. Toss the butternut squash or sweet potatoes in olive oil and the chili, cinnamon, coriander and poultry seasoning. Roast for about 30 minutes at 350 or until tender. Meanwhile boil the lentils until tender, then strain. Mash up butternut squash and lentils.

2. Dice the onion and sweat in a pan on low heat for 3 minutes. Add the raisins and cranberries and a half a cup of water and simmer until water is absorbed.3. Lay out the puff pastry. Cover with a thin layer of the raisin mixture to about an inch away from the edges of the sheet. Form the squash mixture into a small log in the center of the sheet. Hold one side of the baking parchment and lift it, with the pastry, towards the centre of the Wellington so it starts to cover the filling. Peel the baking parchment back, leaving the pastry in place, then do the same with the other side. The pastry should overlap in the middle. Beat the egg with the milk and brush it over the pastry join to seal the join. Fold up the ends so the filling doesn’t leak out, then carefully roll the Wellington onto a baking sheet, with the seal underneath. Brush all over with the egg mix.

4. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 until puff pastry is cooked and filling is heated through.

TURKEY SWEET POTATO “LASAGNA”

Searching for a little comfort food but don’t want to dive right into the mac n’ cheese? Chef Jason has exactly what you need!

Fall is the perfect time to re-imagine your kitchen and experiment with some new full-flavoured recipes!- Que the spice cabinet! –We often underestimate the power and flavour a little spice can add… not to mention the vast number of health benefits hiding in there!Here we have rounded up a list of 5 fall or you could even say holiday spices to enhance your cooking this season.

Cloves

As you can see, this spice is available both whole and ground and is the major in gradient in toothpastes and mouthwashes! It has a strong, spicy flavour with a warm, hot taste. Now WHY and more importantly HOW would we incorporate this spice into our kitchen… Here are 4 surprising ways to use cloves on a daily basis --> 1) Fruit Pies! Most commonly used in apple pie or any fruit that you think needs that little spiciness and kick.2) Poke some into your ham.3) Home fragrance! Stick a few pieces into an orange and you have a natural home scent that may actually ward off house flies and insects.4) Cough suppressant. Add a couple cloves to your tea and let it work its magic!Cinnamon

Cinnamon is by far the popular one of the group! With its mildly-sweet-to-bitter flavouring, this spice is a great addition to almost any dish. Since we are very familiar with this one. Here are 4 benefits of adding some cinnamon to your dishes -->1) Contains powerful antioxidants2) Anti-inflammatory properties3) May reduce the risk of heart disease4) Known to regulate blood sugar levels

If none of these spark your interest… you could always try the #cinnamonchallenge.Nutmeg

This warm spice bring both the sweet and spicy flavour we crave! In addition to allegedly enhancing concentration, clearing nasal congestion and masking bad breath – here are 4 ways you can incorporate Nutmeg into your kitchen -->

1) Add to savoury dishes such as ravioli, cream based soups or cheese dishes.2) Top off your drink with nutmeg. Some favourites are cappuccino or lattes, eggnog, mulled wines or ciders.3) Stir a bit into your mashed potatoes for a new taste.4) Nutmeg pairs especially well with chocolate so add a pinch into your next hot chocolate or cake icing. Allspice

Can’t decide on which of the above 3 spices to use? Allspice is the one for you! Its taste is similar to a combination of flavours (cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves) and gives a little kick to almost any dish. This spice works well with sweet breads, carrots, pork or chicken.Here are 4 fun ways you can use allspice -->1) Add it to your bbq sauce (think Jamaican Jerk).2) Add whole allspice to dishes that cook slowly – think casseroles, stews etc.3) Sprinkle allspice onto milky drinks like hot chocolate or eggnog!4) Add to almost any sweet and savoury dessert – the spiciness will mix perfectly.Pumpkin Pie Spice

Last but definitely not least… and my personal favourite - pumpkin pie spice! This spice is a giant blend of warm spices! The mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and mace is the perfect addition to squashes and almost any baked good that needs a little bit of pumpkin flavouring!Here are 4 additional ways you can use this Fall spice --> 1) Mix the spice in to your coffee grounds before brewing for a full flavoured morning treat!2) Stir it into pancake batter.3) Season your popcorn for a sweet taste.4) Sprinkle it over roasted vegetables – squash is a great option!

According to Foodimentary.com, August is National Hot & Spicy month!To go with the flow, we decided to sit down with Chef Jason and discuss some of his favourite hot & spicy foods and get the inside scoop on some hot trends! Check it out:Q: What is your favourite hot and spicy sauce?Chef Jason: My favourite hot sauce is sambal oelek but I honestly love the flavour of pepper and peppercorns.

Q: What is your go-to for these flavours?J: Wings with either sambal oelek and a touch of lemon, or simple salt and black pepper are addictive to me!

Q: What is a trend or upcoming flavour you are diving into at the moment?J: Like many people in my industry, I’m starting to get into gochujang, it is a Korean pepper paste.

Q: Last but not least, can you share a couple of your all-time favourite recipes with us?J: Take a look below where I have attached a version of Brussel Sprout Kim Chee I created once upon a time, as well as a Piri Piri Sauce from my family history in South Africa! RECIPE #1 – BRUSSEL SPROUT KIM CHI

2. Add cleaned Brussel sprouts and top with a plate to keep Brussel sprouts submerged. Let set at room temperature for 4 hours then drain, rinse, drain and place in a large bowl.

3. Pulse the onion, scallions, garlic, gochugaru, fish sauce, Sriracha, ginger, soy sauce, coriander and fennel seeds in a food processor. You can decide how smooth you would like it.

4. Add to the bowl with Brussel sprouts and toss. Transfer to canning jars and pack tightly eliminating air gaps.

5. Combine remaining 1 oz salt with 1 quart water in a large bowl until salt is dissolved. Add salt water to the jars to cover the Brussel sprouts. Leave around 1” space on the top. Cover jars with lids. Let sit out of direct sunlight at room temperature until kimchi tastes tangy and releases bubbles when stirred, approx. 3-5 days. Chill.RECIPE #2 – PIRI PIRI

Ingredients:•2 Tbsps red hot chile paste or 10 red hot chiles, such as Thai•1/2 cup fresh lemon juice•2 Tbsps finely chopped cilantro•1 Tbsp chopped parsley•5 chopped garlic cloves•1/2 tsp salt•1/2 cup olive or peanut oilDirections: 1. If you are using fresh red chilies it is important that they be red, for the proper color of piri piri -- chop them roughly. If you really want to make this authentic, find yourself the tiny "bird's eye" chilies, which are appallingly hot. Any hot chile will do, though.

2. Throw everything into a food processor except the oil. Buzz on high until smooth. Once the sauce begins to get smooth, drizzle in the oil slowly while the machine is running.ENJOY!If you try out a recipe or have any general comments be sure to share with us!Email: shcfeedback@scarletthouse.ca or Tweet Us: @scarlett_house

They say practice makes perfect… that is exactly how we like to describe our massive sandwiches here at Scarlett House Catering – perfection!Producing approximately 50,000 sandwiches a week (that’s over 2.5 million a year!) -- there’s no doubt our practice has paid off!Out of our Mississauga productions facility, we provide food service to a number of major airlines out of both the Hamilton and Toronto Pearson airports, as well as a number of grab and go products at many retailers province wide.

Scarlett House Catering & The Art Gallery of Hamilton

This month we are launching a new category of blog, titled: 1 ingredient, 3 ways! Each month our Executive Chef will highlight an in-season ingredient and give you 3 ways you can incorporate it into your kitchen!This month, Chef Jason has given us 3 delicious recipes that all feature our fresh ingredient of the month: